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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — in control
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bat — the animal
  14. charge — a price
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bulb — for light
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com